Features

Our Truth, Our Morality –Brodie L

I have just finished my nth reread of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune, and every time I reread it a new quote sticks in my brain that I can’t help but turn over constantly in my brain. This time I have been thinking about an axiom from Paul’s father, “My father once told me that respect for the truth comes close to being the basis for all morality.” As with most of my reading, I can’t help but compare it to modern life and our own circumstances. Who among those who claim to rule over us ever actually admit to being wrong? A respect for truth must find its root in recognizing when you are wrong and changing, but devastatingly we live in a time where the ruling elite, even if they know personally they are “wrong,” refuse to admit and change in public. We can never progress under these conditions.

To paraphrase Carl Sagan, there isn’t a truth that shouldn’t be known. In other words, how can we confront the world in front of us unless we see it for what it is and not impose our wants or prejudices? Marxism compels us to respect the truth of our situation on earth: That humans are shaped by their environmental and social circumstances. We are defined by our attempts to bring a measure of it under our control. Many of our fellow Americans mistake capitalism for an economic system that brings the world to order for the benefit of all. You need only look out a window to see how untrue that is. We cannot rest on assumptions; we must strive for greater understanding of the truths we live in. For us to succeed in bringing class consciousness to our fellows, we must respect truth and learn our shared history.

The Old Devils Are at It Again –Andy L

As this disastrous war continues, our leaders claim that we’ll need another $200 billion to fund the war and restock the armaments that we’ve been using to blow up children. Oh, and that money will need to come out of our social programs. That’s not true at all – they’re just being assholes.

When Bush cut taxes on the rich in 2003, everyone said that cutting taxes during a war would destroy the economy. They were wrong. 2008’s Great Recession was caused by banksters betting on people not being able to pay their mortgages, not five-year-old tax cuts.

Our taxes don’t fund federal spending. The US government doesn’t gather up our money, then buy things. It spends the money into existence and destroys it with taxes. This isn’t the traditional understanding of federal spending, but as it turns out, the traditional (and incorrect) understanding is why politicians can say, “we’d love to do that, but we don’t have the money.” They are doing it again, attacking Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for no other reason than because they want to.

The feds can buy anything for sale in the US economy. They make the currency. It’s as simple as that. The Federal Reserve makes electronic deposits in bank accounts for any spending that Congress authorizes. The restriction on federal spending is resources, not cost. We can’t give everyone a pony because we don’t have 340 million ponies. Unsurprisingly, the resources that old folks need to survive are different from the ones that defense contractors need to build weapons. Unfortunately, bombs and bridges use similar resources, which is why our roads are falling apart. Every bomb dropped in Iran explodes in the US as well, just in a different way.

Bulletins

Movie Night Tonight: Quilombo

Quilombo is based on the history of Palmares, a community founded in 1605 by Africans who escaped enslavement in colonial Brazil. For nearly a century, Palmares challenged Dutch and Portuguese sovereignty in Brazil. Palmares remains a symbol of multicultural coexistence and resistance to colonialism.

Bywater-Lower 9 Neighborhood Social

Building a socialist future requires identifying the needs of our community in order to take collective action. New Orleans DSA invites all members and non-members alike to an informal social near you. Come chat and get to know comrades in your community. DSA members sign up for your neighborhood circle.

Join us from 6-8 pm Friday April 10th at Okay Bar, 1700 Port St.

Marketplace for Cooperatives

DSA members are starting a new tech worker cooperative, and one of our first projects is a marketplace where people can shop online at coops! This is socialism in action, as it supports businesses where workers own the means of production, rather than profiteering shareholders. Read more about the reasons why in our Manifesto.

Sign up for updates on how the marketplace is coming along and share with everyone you know who is interested in supporting worker-owned cooperatives! Visit us at https://solidarityecono.my

Poli-Ed Reading Group: Che Guevara

Please join us at the Healing Center, Room 258, on April 19 to discuss Socialism and Man in Cuba by Che Guevara. The Poli-Ed Reading Group meets on the third Sunday of every month to chat about books, films, articles, and more. Come enjoy good times, good people, and good conversation.

Chevron Out: Update on French Quarter Fest

We have won our demand! After first dropping Chevron from the title sponsorship, the coalition received word that starting in 2027, the festival will no longer be sponsored by Chevron at all. Now take action to thank French Quarter Fest for dropping Chevron and pressure the remaining targets to follow suit! Let’s get out there and show our support for local artists at this year’s FQF.

Queer Soc: LGBTQ+ Map

New Orleans DSA’s Queer Socialists Section has released its map of pro- and anti- LGBTQ+ businesses in the greater New Orleans Area! This map is an ongoing project which requires community support. If you know of a business that is pro- or anti-LGBTQ+, or if you are the owner of a business, please submit information to Queer Soc’s tip-line!

Eye on Surveillance: Demand a Withdrawal of the $740,000 FQMD & NOPD Drone Proposal

NOPD and the French Quarter Management District are proposing a dangerous $740,000 Drones as First Responder program that would launch camera-equipped drones to many 911 calls across the French Quarter. The Drones as First Responder program represents a major expansion of an aerial surveillance system built for constant use.

Police drones are a dangerous investment. A budget deficit has caused hundreds of furloughs, cuts to youth and family programs, and whole city offices to shut down. We cannot afford this expensive, long‑term aerial surveillance system. Tell the FQMD, City Council, and Mayor Moreno: NO POLICE DRONES IN OUR CITY!

Worker Power: Not One Dime at Starbucks

Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) baristas continue their nationwide strike against unfair labor practices. That strike includes our local unionized Starbucks in River Ridge. Please support our striking baristas here and across the country by boycotting Starbucks donating to the workers’ solidarity fund. Baristas have been fighting for over two years for a fair contract. As participants in a wage market system, every worker has a stake in seeing the SBWU fight to the end.

Membership: Meet Comrades in Your Neighborhood Circle

Organizing is about trust, and trust gets built by showing up again and again and getting to know your neighbors. Neighborhood circles are how we connect with comrades where we live, work, or otherwise spend our time. We’re using them to host gatherings, plan events, and organize around issues in our neighborhoods. Click here to join yours today! Neighborhood circles are for members only and follow the chapter’s code of conduct and guidelines for respectful discussion.

Community Calendar

Friday, April 3

Movie Night: Quilombo
6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

Saturday, April 4

🌹 🌹 🌹

Sunday, April 5

Coffee With Comrades
11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Coffee Science, 410 S Broad St

Capital Webinar with Radhika Desai
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

Poli-Ed Planning Meeting
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258 – Meet

Chapter Orientation
8:00 pm – 9:00 pm (first and last Sunday)
Meet

Monday, April 6

Immigration Advocacy Working Group
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258

Tuesday, April 7

Northshore Reading Group: The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (Karl Marx)
6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
St Tammany Parish Library, Causeway Branch, 3457 US-190, Mandeville

AfroSoc Meeting
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Healing Center, 2372 St Claude Av #258 – Zoom

Wednesday, April 8

Comrades of Comedy
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Big Couch, 1045 Desire St, Suite 101 ($10)

Thursday, April 9

🌹 🌹 🌹

Friday, April 10

Bywater/Lower 9th Neighborhood Social
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Okay Bar, 1700 Port St

Saturday, April 11

Brake Light Clinic
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location TBD

Sunday, April 12

🌹 🌹 🌹

Down the Road

April 18 New Orleans DSA General Meeting
April 19 Poli-Ed Reading Group: Socialism and Man in Cuba (Che Guevara)
May 3 Coffee with Comrades
June 27 New Orleans DSA Local Convention